Recovering from kidney transplant
Like most micro-preemies, my Daphne, faced many challenges in the NICU: 2 months on the respirator, BPD, infection scares, digestive issues, kidney failure… With all that, one thing we did not encounter was surgery. Yet, we knew from the very first days that she would need major surgery, eventually. She was born with two congenital heart defects, an ASD (small) and a VSD (very large) that would need to be repaired through open-heart surgery.
She was discharged at five months with a surgery date on the calendar. We were, needless to say, terrified, but excited that with her heart fixed, she would be able to kick her oxygen habit. Heart surgery was, dare I say, easy. The procedure was successful and totally uneventful, and four days later, she came home again. Daphne still sees the cardiologist once a year, but there are no concerns. She has a healthy heart.
Her kidneys, on the other hand, did not recover from the injury they suffered at birth [Continue reading]
